Method of making collars for necks of containers



G. A. LYNAS May 14, 1968 METHOD OF MAKING COLLARS FOR NECKS OF CONTAINERS 5 Sheets$heet 1 INVENIOR. GARY A. LYNAS Attorney e. A. LYN AS 3,382,779

METHOD OF MAKING COLLARS FOR NECKS OF CONTAINERS May 14, 1968 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 2, 1965 FIG. 8

FIG. 5

INVENTOR GARY A. LYNAS Attorney y 1968 5. A. LYNAS 3,382,779

METHOD OF MAKING COLLARS FOR NECK-S OF CONTAINERS Filed Aug. 2, 1965 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR. GARY A. LYNAS BY W J W Attorney 3,382,779 METHGD OF MAKING (IOLLARS FOR NECKS 0F CQNTAFNERS Gary Andrew Lynas, Willowdale, Ontario, Canada, as

signer to Globe Envelopes Limited, Toronto, Ontario,

anada Filed Aug. 2, 1965, Ser. No. 476,285 2 Claims. (Cl. 93-94) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A pair of tapered collars are made by applying glue along two lines to a forward moving blank and folding normal to the line of feed to bring opposed portions to seal along the glue lines which are inclined to the fold line; the blank is then out between the glue lines.

This invention relates to improvements in collars or sleeves of the type formed of paper, cardboard or the like and applied to necks of bottles or other necked containers to carry advertising, promotional, or other display material.

One of the important objects of the invention is to enable collars of this type to be manufactured more economically than heretofore. In particular, it is an object to enable such neck collars, sleeves or labels to be manufactured using conventional envelope forming machinery. In this connection, it is an object to enable high spee production of such collars or sleeves using such machinery.

Another important object is to provide an improved collar or sleeve which can more readily be applied over the neck of a bottle or other necked container.

Frequently, such collars, sleeves or labels are intended to be removed and opened up without destruction to obtain information regarding or to be used as entry forms for contests, prizes and the like and it is another important object to provide a bottle or container neck collar or sleeve which can be opened up with facility and without destruction.

Still another object is to provide optimum area on the collar or sleeve commensurate with the container and neck size on which to display advertising or other promotional material.

Still another object is to provide a sleeve or collar as aforesaid of attractive appearance.

Sleeves or collars of the type with which the invention is concerned are of tapered form and when provided in a flat state they are required :to be opened up into tubular formation and slipped down over the neck of the bottle or container. The production of such collars or sleeves in tubular form or in a fiat state folded at angles depending on the degree of taper required necessitates the use of special equipment.

According to the present invention the collars or sleeves are formed by folding blanks of paper, card-board or the like along a fold line which is always at right angles to the direction of feed of the blanks as they are fed down a production line regardless of the taper desired in the ultimate collar.

Further, according to the invention, each blank is formed to provide two or more collars and all the folding required for all of the collars to be formed from an indi vidual blank is accomplished in a single folding operation with the fold being etlected along a line always running at right angles to or crosswise of the direction of feed of the blank. With the invention, therefore, collars of the type referred to can be manufactured at high speed on standard envelope manufacturing machinery.

When collars or sleeves of this type are delivered to ited States Pate the user in a fiat or compressed state the operator is required to force the opposed folded edges towards each other to effect opening up of the collar so that it can be slipped over the neck of the bottle. Such opening up of the collar is rather awkward and is not always readily accomplished so that there is a time waste factor on the application of the collars.

According to the present invention, each collar has a single fold side, and this preferably with only a blunt fold, and a relatively rigid gripping tab is provided at the opposite side of the collar whereby the operator gripping this tab in the fingers of one hand and pushing the opposite bluntly folded edge of the collars against, for example, the other hand, can immediately and positively ellect an opening up of the collar ready for inserting over the container neck thereby providing an important saving in time.

Further according tothe invention the collar is provided with one folded edge and an opposed glued or adhesively secured edge forming said tab as aforesaid and defining the collar taper therebetween. With :this arrangement for a given size and taper of collar to fit a specific neck size additional space may be provided for advertising or other indicia on the collar than is available on conventional collars of this type.

Again the provision of the tab at one side of the collar not only affords a facility in the opening up of the collar from flat state to sleeve form for application over the neck of a bottle but further provides a means for facilitating the opening up of the sleeve without destruction to display printed information instructions or the like on the inside of the sleeve. In this connection the collar tab may be so glued or adhered to facilitate this opening up or may be provided with nonadhered tab portions or extensions which can be gripped to assist in the pulling apart of the adhered edge of the collar.

These and other objects and features of the invention will be more readily understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a collar embodying the invention and showing it about to be placed over the neck of a bottle.

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the collar of FIG- URE l in position on the neck of a bottle.

FIGURE 3 is a plan view of the collar, FIGURES l and 2, when opened out to flat form to display the interior thereof.

Fl'GURE 4 is a plan view of the collar of FIGURES l and 2 in the flattened state before being opened up to sleeve form for insertion over the neck of a bottle.

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of a slightly modified form of collar embodying the invention.

FIGURE 6 is a diagrammatic perspective view illustrating the manner in which the collars of FIGURES l and 5 are formed into two mirror-image portions in accordance with the invention.

FIGURE 7 is a plan view of the blank from which collars of the configuration of FIGURE 5 are formed showing the blank being advanced towards the folding operation.

FIGURE 8 shows the blank of FIGURE 7 after folding and prior to die cutting to form collars of the configuration of FIGURE 5.

FIGURE 9 is a plan view of an alternative form of blank for forming four collars simultaneously in accordance with the invention.

'Jith reference to FIGURES l and 2 the collar designated at 1 is of generally tapered form having a narrow mouth 2 at the top and a wide mouth 3 at the bottom thereof so that it can be sleeved over the top of a bottle 4 as illustrated in FlGURES l and 2 to encompass the neck 5 thereof.

As illustrated in FIGURES 3 and 4 the collar 1 is com prised of a requisitely shaped sheet of material 6 which may be paper, cardboard or other foldable material which presents in effect a pair of wings '7 which in the illustration are mirror images of each other on opposite sides of a fold line 8, although it will be appreciated the wings 7 do not have to be identical in shape. These wings 7 when folded over, one on the other, are adhered by means of adhesive or glue 9 which may or may not be a continuous coating for the collar 1.

Preferably the fold at the fold line 8 is what is termed a blunt fold, that is one that provides a slightly radiused bend at the fold line as shown in FIGURE 1 rather than a sharp crease for a purpose as will hereinafter appear. The taper of the collar 1 is provided by having the line of juncture 10 of the inner edges of the adhesively secured wing portions 11 inclined at an acute angle to the fold line 8, the fold line 8 and juncture line It forming opposite sides of the collar when in the flattened state of FIGURE 4. The adhesively secured wing portions 11 define a tab of double thickness extending longitudinally along the juncture line 10, being of a width and size so that it may be conveniently gripped by the thumb and finger of one hand, as illustrated in FIGURE 1.

In applying the collar the worker takes the collar while in the flat state of FIGURE 4 and, gripping the tab 11 between the thumb and forefinger of one hand, pushes the opposite edge of the collar as defined by the fold line 8 against, for example, the other hand; the collar, facilitated by the blunt fold at 8, immediately and positively opens out from fiat to sleeve form whereby it can be sleeved over the neck of the bottle or other container to the position illustrated in FIGURE 2. The tab 11 not only provides for convenient gripping of the collar but also a rigid reinforcement; this is due to the glued double thickness of the material which precludes any distortion of the collar as the fold 3 is pressed against an object so that the reactive force will invariably result in the opening up of the collar to sleeve form rather than a bending or twisting of the collar.

The tab 11 also facilitates the removal of the collar and, by pulling the adhered strip portions 11 forming the tab, the wings 7 can be separated, the collar being opened up for viewing and inspection of any material which may be imprinted on the inside thereof. Alternatively the material of the collar may be perforated along the line It) so that the tab may be severed from the collar in the opening up operation.

FIGURE illustrates a slightly modified form of collar 12 in which there is provided a pair of unglued wings 13 projecting from the tab 11 which corresponds to the tab 11 of the collar 1. These wings 13 provide gripping means which can be pulled to separate the adhered collar portions, which form the tab 11 when it is desired to open out the collar to inspect the interior thereof.

Additionally the wings 13 facilitate the forming of the collars as will hereinafter appear.

As in the case of the collar in FIGURE 1, the collar in FIGURE 5 has its taper defined by acutely inclined fold and juncture lines, namely the fold line 8 and the inner line of juncture of the collar portions forming the tab 11.

It will be appreciated that the collars 1 and 12 may carry advertising display or information on the exterior thereof and as well, of course, information or display, promotional or advertising material on the inside thereof.

Collars of the type according to the invention are formed by folding along acutely inclined lines to form the tapered sides of the collar and these acutely inclined lines of fold require special equipment. According to the present invention the collars are preferably formed by employing a single folding operation which is transverse or at right angles to the direction of blank feed, as will be more particularly described with reference to FIG- URE 6.

In the diagrammatic illustration of FIGURE 6 there is provided a blank 14 of sheet material which, in the particular embodiment illustrated, ultimately forms two collars. This blank is fed, for instance, on a conveyor belt of a conventional envelope machine in the directions of the arrows 15 in the usual manner by means of pins 16 which push the blank from behind. As the blank is advanced, it is creased as at 80, corresponding to the fold line 8 in the final collar, with the blank presenting portions 17 on opposite sides of the crease line which portions 17, in the illustration, are mirror images but need not necessarily be so. The adhesive 9 is applied at at least two corners of the blank as illustrated; the sequence of these steps, of course, is immaterial.

Following creasing and the application of glue the blank is folded along the crease line 80 to bring the mirror image portions 17 into face to face relationship. It will be appreciated from FIGURE 6 that the crease line 80 is at precisely right angles to the direction of feed of the blank, i.e. exactly transversely of the blank feed, and therefore the blank can be folded in a conventional manner while being forwardly advanced by the pins 16. After folding pressure is applied to secure the blank corners together along the lines of the longitudinal adhesively coated strips. The blank 14 is thus formed into a single sleeve which is subsequently die cut to provide two separate collars 1 with an intervening scrap piece 18.

It will be seen that the blank 14 has scalloped sides 19, which are adapted to form the upper mouths of the final collars 1, while the arcuate lines of cut 20 in the final die cutting operation define the lower months 3 of the collars. In the method illustrated, not only are tapered collars provided while using a single fold at right angles to the direction of advance of the blank, but the blank produces a pair of collars so that the rate of collar production is twice that of the blank feed.

The blank to form the collar of FIGURE 5 is illustrated in FIGURE 7 and carries the additional generally triangular corner elements 13 which ultimately form the wings 13 previously referred to. Again the blank 21 is advanced by means of pins 16 and the provision of the wings 13 provide locating notches for receiving the pins and correctly orienting the blank so that the speed of advance of the blanks in the production of the collars can be increased without danger of angular displacement. Again the blanks are creased, as at 80', and have adhesive applied along the corner strips 9 with the inner borders 10 of the adhesive bearing strips 9' being acutely inclined to or out of parallelism with the crease line 80'. The tabs or wings 13 are left unglued. As before the blank is then folded over on itself to bring the mirror image portions 17 on opposite sides of the crease line 8t? into opposing relation, where they are united by pressure on the adhesive strip areas 9'.

Again the sides 19' define the upper mouths of the collars when the blank is folded, adhered and die cut and the lines of cut 20 form the bottom mouths of the collar.

In the folding operation it is desirable that the material should not be sharply creased along the crease lines 80 and 89'; as a result a small radiused curve is provided at the fold line so that the collars 1 or 12 ultimately formed may be readily opened up by grasping the tabs 11 or 11' in one hand and the folded edge of the collars pushed against an abutment, such as the other hand, as previously explained.

While the blanks shown in FIGURES 6 and 7 are adapted for forming two collars simultaneously upon die cutting in the final step, it will be appreciated that any number of collars may be simultaneously formed using the single folding operation with the fold line arranged transversely or at right angles to the direction of blank feed. In this connection, FIGURE 9 illustrates a further blank 21', with a single fold along a fold line 22 which will, upon being die cut along lines 23 and 24, produce four collars. Thus the rate of collar production will be four times the blank feed.

While a single folding operation is desirable, it will be appreciated that a suitable "blank may be formed and folded more than once along parallel fold lines to produce, on gluing and die cutting, a greater number of collars.

While I have shown and described several preferred embodiments of my invention, it. will be understood that various modifications may be made within the spirit of the invention and without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. The method of forming tapered collars for the necks of containers from paper cardboard or like foldable sheet material comprising dieing out a shaped blank including two mirror-image portions from which at least two collars are to be formed, feeding said blank along a straight line path, applying adhesive to said blank along at least two non-parallel lines, folding said blank over on itself along a fold line at right angles to said line of feed to bring blank portions into opposing relation along said lines of adhesive application, said lines of adhesive application being spaced from and out of parallelism with said fold line, applying pressure to effect adherence of said opposing blank portions along said adhesive lines, cutting said blank into at least two mirror-image portions each defining a collar in a flattened state with one edge thereof defined by the fold of the blank and the other edge by one of said lines of adherence out of parallelism with the fold line.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 in which said blank is overfolded to provide a blunt fold.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,025,457 5/1912 Dunfee 93-1 1,404,526 1/1922 Husted 93-63 1,839,491 1/1932 Novick 9361 1,913,212 6/1933 Ristow 9339.3 1,973,406 9/1934 Cooley 9339.3 2,004,396 6/1935 Sage 93-1 2,083,534 6/1937 Magidson 93-87 2,083,538 6/1937 Affelder 93-79 X 2,153,848 4/1939 Shea et a1. 93-63 2,276,318 3/1942 Labombarde 93-62 X 2,334,213 11/1943 Murch 93-1.3 X 2,382,877 8/1945 Heilbrunn et a1. 93-1 2,667,823 2/ 1954 Potter et a1. 93-79 2,867,956 1/ 1959 Murrell 9379 X 3,079,144 2/1963 Frei 93-61 X 1,866,805 7/1932 Haywood 2291.5 1,950,505 3/ 1934 Matters 229-15 1,999,011 4/1935 Wasser -21 2,114,498 4/1938 Lindquist 40-21 WILLIAM W. DYER, JR., Primary Examiner.

WAYNE A. MORSE, JR., JOSEPH R. LE CLAIR,

TRAVIS S. MCGEHEE, Examiners.

D. F. NORTON, Assistant Examiner. 

